The Kentucky Department of Education just released a document that amounts to a major promise to parents about how Kentucky’s public school system is going to attack our persistent problem with achievement gaps.

Guidelines for Closing the Gaps for All Students is a product of the Commissioner's Raising Achievement/Closing Gaps Council (CRACGC), a group that was revitalized and recharged several years ago by Kentucky Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday.

Here are just a few of the promises:

Provide sample evidence such as:

• Current scores

• School and district rankings (within district and across state)

• Disaggregated longitudinal data for all student groups

• Cross-referenced disaggregation (i.e., low income-African American, low income-special needs, low income-special needs-white)

• Identify who is directly responsible (held accountable) for improvement

• Conduct home visits at all grade levels

• Develop relationships with parents and engage them when determining the needs of their students as well as with strategies to help students succeed in the classroom

• Provide evidence of how the potential interventions programs and strategies chosen help address the identified needs of a school or district

• Hold administrators responsible for recognizing good implementation and for providing formative assessment for teachers and staff

• Redistribute effort by placing struggling students with experienced teachers who have a record of success and by providing support for new teachers to increase their confidence as they develop their teaching strategies (i.e., no more “silo teaching”)

• Limit the use of acronyms and “edu-speak” without explanations and definitions

• Place a positive focus on meaningful success rather than taking a defensive or accusatory stance based on areas of need